The myth of Huitzilopochtli and hummingbirds

The ancient Mayans had a great knowledge of nature; when observing the animals, they linked them to their deities. In particular, they associated hummingbirds with fertility, life, sky, sun and gods, explained Mauricio Ruiz Velasco Bengoa, academic at the Center for Maya Studies of the Institute of Philological Research of UNAM. In their cosmological thinking, birds embodied light, fertility, sky life and celestial energy. Their symbolic meaning…